Salvator Mile Could be Quite an 'Affair'

(from Monmouth Park notes)
Presidentialaffair, a horse for the course on the Monmouth Park main track, returns to graded stakes opposition in Sunday's $100,000 Salvator Mile Handicap (gr. III).

The 5-year-old son of Not for Love has a 5-1-1 record in eight starts at Monmouth. In his most recent July 5, he was a smashing winner of the Skip Away Stakes.

Trainer Marty Ciresa has good vibes. "He loves to run, and he loves Monmouth," Ciresa said. "And Stew Elliott fits him perfectly. Stew lets the horse run his race, which is just what this guy wants."

A field of six is to contest the Salvator. Crafty Shaw, the 118-pound high weight, is coming off a July 4 victory in the Cornhusker Breeders Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Prairie Meadows. He won the Hanshin Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Arlington Park May 31 and is the 9-5 morning line favorite Sunday.

Ciresa goes back a long way with Presidentialaffair, who is 2-1 on the morning line while carrying 117. The conditioner bought the Pennsylvania-bred as a yearling for $25,000, trained him early on and then lost the client and the horse. "We were separated for about nine months, and I just waited for a chance to get him back," Ciresa said. "Then he turned up in a claiming race at Monmouth last June.

"Cal Lynch claimed him for $20,000 for my father, Edward. Cal trained him at Monmouth through the summer, and I took him back in September. Last October, we sold a half-interest in him to Vince Papandrea.

He's just a pure runner," Ciresa said. "He doesn't have a lot of natural speed, but if they push him early, he'll just go and keep on going. He doesn't want the rider to fight him, because he basically runs his race every time."

Presidentialaffair, who scored his first graded stakes victory last November in the Stuyvesant Handicap (gr. III) at Aqueduct, will meet some tough customers in the Salvator as he goes from the rail with Elliott back aboard.

Unforgettable Max was third to Ghostzapper in the seven-furlong Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park on Independence Day.

$100,000 Salvator Mile Handicap (gr. III), 3 & up, 1 mile
PP. Horse, Jockey, Wgt., ML Odds
1. Presidentialaffair (PA), Stewart Elliott, 117, 2/1
2. Roaring Fever (KY), Jose A. Velez, Jr., 113, 6/1
3. Polish Pride (MD), Edwin L. King, Jr., 113, 10/1
4. Cherry Pickings (KY), Joe Bravo, 114, 6/1
5. Crafty Shaw (KY), Craig Perret, 118, 9/5
6. Unforgettable Max (FL), Eibar Coa, 117, 5/2